


Fates Fall

by OhGODitsaFOX



Series: Fates Fall [1]
Category: League of Legends
Genre: Action/Adventure, Aliens, Drinking, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Teenagers, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:14:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29049729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhGODitsaFOX/pseuds/OhGODitsaFOX
Summary: Ahri once said it was our destiny to defend the universe but in the back of your mind, you always wondered, who would protect us? Here you'll see my story and those connected with me. You'll learn more about what a real Star Guardian goes through past the starlight and sparkles. To whoever finds this, all I ask is that you don't forget about me or the people here. Eventually, even we suffer the price for burning too bright.
Relationships: Ahri (League of Legends)/Original Male Character(s), Rakan/Xayah (League of Legends)
Series: Fates Fall [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2131206
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16





	1. Just another day.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello to everyone who finds my little story. You can call me Fox! After many thoughts circulating I decided to finally write my own fanfic based on the Star Guardian lore. This is my take on it and trying to stay true to what's canon I decided to write a story to help fill in the gaps of ambiguity Riot has left us to make the SG lore pop more. This will be a long ride so I hope you enjoy it and if not, that's fine. No reason to stay but be respectful and mindful of your words is all I ask. With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy and if you like it, be sure to leave a kind message so I know I'm doing something right. Also, an important note, I take no credit for Ahri and the rest of the champions presented here. That belongs to Riot. The Oc's and the Mc's story is mine, however. You'll see events from other short stories referenced or hinted at throughout but that's it.

It’s dark in your room with the moon’s light shining down through your window upon your simple oak desk. You set your pen down, hoping your cursive is legible enough for Ahri to read. Your cheek pulls at your lips revealing a tiny grin hiding beneath your stern countenance remembering how she used to tease you for your ‘chicken scratch’.

You lean back in your seat when you feel your attention drift off to a photo by an unknown intangible force that you had pinned on the wall with peculiar objects near it. Five people stand in that photo with Ahri being the one to snap the photo, all smiling and happy. Tender memories reaching for you as you recall when the photo was taken. It was before your team went out on a patrol, Kenton had the idea of taking a group photo. There was a light burning bright in each of you. Subsumed by your memories, you try to recall where it all went wrong. Then the memories started to visualize and come to life, the story of how fragile you realized you truly were.

  
  
  
  
  
  


"It’s too quiet,” Garret mutters as they walk beside you with Horus on his shoulder. The five of you, including your familiar spirits, all tread silently looking at the desecrated remains is the town. Something bothered you; the whole situation should feel a sense of monachopsis, yet instead, this is all too familiar with you. You disliked that, but it was the nature of the job; behind the sparkles and stardust was the raw reality of life and death that robbed more of your innocence ever since you resigned your normal life, accepting what you were born to be a Star Guardian.

“Least we know they’re in the area,” Kenton said, kicking over some rubble that belonged to a nearby cafe. 

“Rather, the things didn’t exist at all,” Garret muttered, not bothering to mask his disgust.

“But that’s what we’re here for, the neverending battle, right chief?” the raven-haired girl asks with a grin as she glanced over at you. 

  
  


You stare at the ruins, lost in thought to see nothing but splashed shades of yellow in a blur. The cracks in the foundation are lost as well as the voices of your team. 

“Hey.” A hand plants itself on your shoulder, knocking you out of your thoughts. 

“Yeah, what is it?” You ask, out of breath. 

  
  


“You okay?” Kina asked with her thinly shaped brows knitted as one. “You seem a bit tense.”

Your fox familiar, Silver, is by your side when it bumps and rubs against your leg as a subtle reminder you’re not alone in the aftermath of this tragedy. You grin at your faithful companion before turning to face Kina. You reply with a nod before averting your gaze back at the destruction. You think about commenting on how awful this must be, how many lives are forever changed because of it, and worse, how the dead were the lucky ones, probably. 

You are reminded of your past and the destruction of your old home. You suppress those fragile feelings of yours behind a blanket of thick skin. Kina folded her arms over her chest where her star gem rested, still glimmering a brilliant light within, proof that the Star Guardian was still alive and healthy.

You lead your team along with the small, rubble-strewn pathway that used to be the street, surveying for any trace of survivors.

“I know it sounds unrealistic-”

“But you’re going to pitch the idea anyway?” Kenton asked, cutting off the raven-haired girl, Aeryn. 

“Yes, because it still needs to be addressed. Are we going to search through all of these buildings? There’s an awful lot, the sooner the better.”

Aeryn should know your answer to this already; she’s not green. Perhaps she wanted to hear it from you to quell the doubt in her heart? That doesn’t go without saying you wouldn’t want that reassurance too. The thought of even a single soul hiding here is enough for you to test fate despite your losing streak. 

You breathe him feeling the musky air fill your lungs, “We’ll search through a few of them and see if we can find any traces of survivors in the area. We’ll locate a map of this area and search for a place where survivors may have taken refuge at.”

You can’t help but wonder how Ahri’s team was doing and if she was okay. Solar systems away, anything could happen to her. You tried to push the thought from your mind. It was a distraction, a distraction was enough to get you killed, and if you died, your team would too.

Kenton located a map, and you all headed towards a ruined mall. Kina muttered she was glad to be inside; she was getting cold from the wind. One by one with a cursory examination, you all search each department store in search of any life, but only find traces of what it once was. You all spent at least an hour searching for anything when there’s a distant clattering from a few meters away.

"Chief?” Garret elbowed your arm and jerked his head to the side.

“Yeah, I heard it too. Everyone, four-star formation, and move as one. Garret, you take point. Kina you’re our cover, let's go.” You figured there may not be any survivors but if there are Voidborn here, your team can at least avenge the fallen. Less Voidborn meant Ahri would be safer, your team, your family, that alone was a universe worth fighting for.

With Garret rounding the corner, his falcon familiar perched above surveying the area around them. 

“See anything Horus?” Garret asked his familiar in a whisper, even if you couldn’t hear him, Horus could. Horus let out a powerful screech and the light around him glowed a bright blue before it took flight once more and dove down back to Garret.

“Voidborn ahead,” Garret notified the rest with a disgusted grunt before the starlight between him and Horus combined showering everything around them in their brilliant light that left all blinded in their fusion.

You nod, “Aeryn, create a veil around us so none of them can escape, the rest of you get to work.” With a nod from each in unison, your team summoning their weapons start to prepare for combat, and their familiars all taking their proper positions. Each Voidling slaughtered was a life saved, even if the soul was lost, their dying cries are the sounds of the victim’s salvation. Garret rushed out first glowing the same radiant cerulean blue as Horus finished fusing with him Garret earning himself a pair of Falcon wings before rushing out.

You all move at once, all joining together with your familiars and your bodies glowing with Starlight ready for combat. 

Without a moment wasted you throw your hand out, summoning a bolt of starlight towards one of the dog-sized black insects. Along their body’s you can see eerie green veins pulsating as their hearts beat. The bolt blasted through one of their bodies leaving behind a splatter of lucent shamrock green goo in its place. The other Voidborn around their fallen brother sprouted wings and began to take flight.

Kina twirls herself with serpentine grace building momentum to slice through one of the Voidling’s exoskeleton in half, the splatter of blood on her, obviously not pleased with the creature’s residue on her outfit, groans flicking some of the goop off of her skirt. There’s a dense liquid splatter on the racked beige tile with a disgusting smack..

Each member all performing and fighting valiantly taking down the twisted abominations with little effort but each attack brimming with passion for their cause in this unending battle. As your team trims down the numbers you’re faced with the last one of the pack. With a single burst of motion, a malicious punch buries itself into the Voidling’s face. The sound of its shell cracking could be heard underneath its ear-piercing screech. With a final open palm, you shoot out a beam of starlight ending its life as soon as it began. Its lifeless corpse drops with low gurgling sounds, besides your feet.

Once the deed is done, your teammates all surround you with their hands on their knees. If there were a group here there were bound to be more Voidborn scurrying around. This also meant the likelihood of survivors plummeted.

“Thanks for having my back,” Kenton turned to Aeryn who gripped her staff with both hands and a nod. With her staff, a ray of light shines and swirls around you and your team, bathing in the subtle warmth as all of your wounds recover from your skirmish.

“So, we gonna hunt the rest and call it a day?” Garret asked, planting his boot on the skull of one of the corpses waiting for a response.

You nod without hesitation. “We need to eliminate all Voidborn before we go home and search for any survivors while we’re here. I don’t care how long it takes, we kill all of them.”

“Then let’s hurry up, I have a calculus test coming up and I need time to study for it,” Kina says and so began your team turning over each debris for any Voidling in the town. During your search, you felt a pair of eyes watching over you, danger? Well, that was certainly safe to assume but from where? You looked around and Silver couldn’t detect where exactly either but he seemed on alert as you were. 

Never leaving your team out of your sight, you search to where your gut feeling was warning you not to go, ready for a fight the second something ugly jumped out and wait... you hear something. Laughter? It sounded like giggling but it echoed. You look back at your team, they seem unaware, even their familiars. That was a bad sign, Horus had excellent hearing but even the hawk was oblivious to this child-like giggle that could stop others in their tracks. 

Once you get closer to the source of the sound you peek around the corner and find nothing there, strange, you think to yourself surveying the decrypt playground the mall had provided for children. After investigating, you decide it was nothing and return to your team but not without glancing over your shoulder and wondering where that creepy laugh came from? What was this looming dread that was plaguing your mind, damn near plaguing your fight or flight?

Silver suddenly turns behind you and before you could react your vision darkens and the floor swayed beneath your feet. A strange circle with a sinister smile is gazing at you. Your eyes start to close and soon, only darkness.

  
  


You wake up with a low groan as the waking world greets you. You rub your hand against the nape of your neck, massaging the muscle. You wonder what happened and see Silver waking up beside you, yawning. You try to clear the cobwebs in your head and focus on what happened, Kenton’s voice echoed throughout the abandoned mall.

“Hey!? Is everything okay?” Kenton asks striding over with his familiar hovering over his shoulder. You reassure him you’re alright but unsure what happened to you to cause this fatigue but judging from Silver’s reactions, not even your familiar knows. You still feel a set of eyes on you but know it’s almost like it’s, no. You shake the strange thought out of your head and refocus on the task ahead. Your team has searched and cleared the town for anymore Voidborn and you all had to fly back home before school tomorrow.

  
  


As you near Valoran City Park, you fly down to hurry home to finally rest and conclude your day. You pull out your phone and send Ahri a text, something to let her know you’re still okay and your team made it back safely. You walk through the door smelling a peachy fragrance waft through the air and notice the lights on. As soon as you walked in you can see a pair of fluffy fox ears protruding from the top of your couch.

With a grin, you approach the person lounging with their feet on your coffee table, “um. Excuse me, Ms. I believe you’re lost. May I show you the front door, or would you prefer my bed, instead?” 

The girl turns around and faces you, “took you long enough! How was patrol today?” Ahri asks, still in her Star Guardian outfit. Clearly ignoring your flirting but not without a quiet grin from tugging on the ends of her lips. From your point of view, Ahri’s bangs side swept perfectly across her face and with her face framed perfectly by her peach-tipped locks. She had a soft round face and a softly pointed chin. Silver and Kiko both chirped enthusiastically as they floated to each other, bumping heads and playing with each other. You and Ahri both share a gentle smile as you watch the cute scene unfold.

You shake your head to the side and change out of your uniform, a bright light engulfing the room as you return back to the clothes you were wearing prior to the transformation. You’re wearing a simple black v-neck and dark blue jeans.

“You’re still in your uniform?” You ask tilting your head quizzically to the side. Not that you had any objections, you actually found Ahri quite attractive in it, then again your opinion is a bit biased considering your relationship with her.

“Oh! I mean, it is pretty comfy but you’re right,” Ahri says closing her eyes as the light starts to shine from her body, her stargem remaining normal where it sat on her chest, disappearing with her outfit. She was in a white sweater with her shoulders showing and a warm pink girly skirt that seemed to suit Ahri fairly well.

You left for the kitchen and retrieved Ahri and yourself, her favorite strawberry cheesecake flavored soda. She looks at you sweetly and thanks you. You nod returning her smile and sitting beside her on the couch where she starts to nestle herself beside you. After a day of schoolwork and fighting, this was just the thing you needed to unwind from it all.

“To answer your question, we found a town that was invaded a few systems away. We didn’t find any survivors but we avenged anyone who may have been killed by any Voidborn.”

"Are you okay?" Ahri asks with commiseration knowing how that whole discovery must've affected you.

You nod with a grin to help dispel any concern she had for you.

Ahri sighed burying her head against your shoulder, “Thankfully there's nothing serious to report from my end. Neeko made friends with one of the planet’s locals, Xayah and Rakan were just being themselves, Sarah and I investigated a disappearance but the child was just hiding from his parents after an argument. So, no sign of Voidborn which is nice, I suppose.”

You can tell in her voice she was ambivalent about her side of things. You understood her feelings all too well. Star Guardians strived to protect the universe and eliminate the Voidborn. Yet, when presented with peace that left them uneasy when they all knew there was work to do. There was still Voidborn out there and yet none were dying. Wishing to find them and wishing for them to not exist was a bit contradicting when you thought about it. Perhaps you, or maybe even the rest of the Star Guardians shared your animosity towards them and wanted to watch them di- No. Not everyone is touched with the same darkness as you were. Some wanted to genuinely protect, not everyone has to have some dark ulterior motive. Troubling yourself over the uncontrollable was doing you no good and was only interfering with your time alone with Ahri.

Your hand finds the top of her head and starts to pet her with a soothing rhythm, Ahri was about to protest but that stops her in her tracks evident by her warming up to your touch. Her ears pointing away as if to make more room for your hands to comfort her. Your hands gliding through her lustrous blonde hair, you can smell the aroma from the perfume she was wearing, flowers and fruits? You couldn’t figure out what fruits and forget about guessing the type of flowery scent it was, you certainly had no clue what that was; probably lilac or something common like Jasmine.

“You know, I didn’t give you permission to do that,” Ahri says quietly with pouty lips in a fit of cute defiance.

“Are you telling me to stop?” you chuckle with your hand lifting off her sleek hair.

Her hands immediately grasp yours and set it back down. “I didn’t say to stop. If you want to give me attention then you have my permission and stuff.”

“Of course, anything for my queen, brat,” you whisper that last part letting a teasing smirk creep along your face.

“I heard that~” Ahri says in a sing-song tone.

“I wanted you too~” you reply, matching her retort.

You both share a pleasant laugh with each other enjoying the peace of being just a pair of high schoolers unwinding after a rough day of work. You order takeout for the both of you since neither feel the energy to cook anything. Ahri tells you not to forget about the rangoons this time, you reply with an eye roll as you order the food over the phone. Once finished she pats for you to sit back beside her, with an expecting smile. You have a clue what she’s about to ask from you.

You ask if it’s regarding head pats, she simply smiles brighter, the same smile that could light up a darkened meadow revealing all of its glory. You sit back down and resume the same position but this time but now her head is pushing against your hand testing her dignity but rapidly losing control of her own pleasure. It was adorable but also interesting watching a stoic leader in the face of danger melt to a head pat when no one was watching. She was just another girl gifted with immense power and responsibility, just like most of the Star Guardians. 

“You know, you could praise me a little bit more.” The way Ahri proposed that you could just feel the mischievous little smile spreading across her picture-perfect face.

You inquire how you could offer more flattery to your oh so modest girlfriend.

“Aren’t I the most beautiful, dazzling, and admirable creature of all time? It’s okay, I can take the truth~”

You find yourself unable to suppress a smirk and a quiet chuckle. “You really are a brat, you know that?” You pause the head patting but kiss the space between her ears that sit perfectly on her head. “But yes, you are the most beautiful, dazzling creature of all time. Happy?”

“You forgot something~,” she says. You’re aware you did, all part of the joke. 

“Did I now?” Clearly playing dumb, you’re enjoying this little banter. She sighs contentedly and looks up at you with a softness in her eyes. “Get over here, dork,” she whispers as her eyes drift towards your lips leaning towards you. You meet her halfway sharing a sweet kiss with one of your hands moving up to caress her cheek, a rosy blush underneath where your palm was. 

You two continue to snuggle until the food arrives with Silver and Kiko both snoozing by your feet curled up. Once the food arrives you get up to retrieve it and you both eat together while watching a commercial for Pantheon’s bakery advertising. You can see a mint green-haired girl as she works diligently during part of it kneading a slab of dough. After some time passes Ahri gets up and you can already tell what’s coming next, the somber feeling of watching her leave.

“I should get going, we do have school tomorrow. Walk me out?”

Sadly all good things must come to an end at some point. You nod and get up with her walking her to the door. 

“Thanks for the cuddles, it was just what I needed after today,” Ahri says perked up. Her tails swishing around is a good indicator for her boosted mood if the satisfied smile wasn't enough for you.

“I can walk you back home, you’re not too far from me. Just a hop, skip, and a jump, and we’re there.” If she were to call you out on simply wanting to spend more time with her you’d have a hard time denying it, half expecting her to do just that. She just grins at you with her fingers trailing along your jawline before the tip pushes your face to the side.

“Worried about little me getting back home safe? So you do care about me.”

“Of course. I don’t buy expensive takeout for just anyone.”

“Takeout shouldn’t be expensive,” Ahri says, checking her purse to see if she has everything before leaving and fixing her hair in the mirror by the front door.

“Tell that to your stomach. Text me when you get home safe, alright?” You say it a bit more sincerely than before. Ahri reads into your tone and sighs sinking into a soft smile.

“You always get like this when I leave.”

“Then… don’t go?” you chuckle feebly shrugging and leaning against the soft alabaster wall. You can only hope she’ll stay, she could stay the night but you’d either get a good night’s sleep or not much at all.

She nods and leans up to plant a kiss on your cheek. “You’ll see me tomorrow you big baby. Thanks for having me over.”

“Thanks for breaking into my home and eating my food.”

“Anytime, cutie~,” Ahri says with a puckish wink before opening the door and flashing a wave before closing it behind her.

You’re now left with the silence and the last of Ahri’s perfume lingering in the air. You go to clean up the mess left behind and take one of the Poro snack cookies and look out the window watching Ahri fly away leaving behind a glittery pink trail painting the deep blue sky. You can see the lights from within the city and cars driving past your home. 

You start to finish up your snack when you hear Ahri’s text tone. It said to check your fridge, when she ‘broke into your house’ she left a surprise for you. You notice a cute boxed lunch made for you, your favorite food all neatly tucked inside. The end up your lip curls into a smile and before you could text Ahri, your phone started ringing. You wonder who that could be and reach into your pocket where your phone was tucked in. It was your mom calling you at this time? You answer asking if everything was alright. It was just her thinking about you and wondering if you were taking care of yourself, eating alright, etc. 

Before you could answer she was asking you about how you and Ahri were. You went through the same notions of reassuring her everything was good with you two. She felt the need to mention how much she adored her, little did she know the mischievous queen bee’s antics often got you two too close to trouble for comfort, you continue to paint her in good lighting for your overbearing mother. Your mother stresses that you take care of yourself and to be safe. You found that strange for a second but she’s your mom, it seems natural for any mom to say.After an extra thirty minutes of talking, you end the call and see a text from Ahri letting her know she got back home safely and with how much she ate, she’ll be sleeping soundly.

You grin replying she owes you for the pampering to which her reply was she’ll coddle you later. Good enough for you. You get into bed and lay down, reflecting on today. You can be a normal boy for now but the moment there’s a Voidling attack anywhere, you and your team need to assemble. You close your eyes and let today’s troubles be yesterday’s memories when your phone rings beside you.

Startled, you reach over and answer, It was Kina on the other end.

“Yes, what is it?” you ask half alarmed and concerned.

“Hey, I can’t get something out of my head and I need to tell someone about this.” Kina takes a deep breath, you expect a long explanation from all of this and you know she will do just that. “I can’t stop thinking about why the Voidborn attacked that specific town in that system. It doesn’t make sense.”

“They’re Voidborn, does everything they do have to make sense to us?” Despite your cynicism, you know she’s onto something. You know you don’t really believe that. Hoping to brush; it off will put her more at peace so she can rest but your disguised efforts were for naught.

“You know better than that. There’s a reason for everything.”

Called out but it was expected.

“I know, alright you have my attention. What’s on your mind?”

You can hear a door open on her end, was it the refrigerator door? You can hear her open a bottle of soda. You sigh and sit up in bed, she’s going to have a theory to throw at you and you’re forced to catch it.

“Voidborn, they’re just creatures from the Void, once there’s an incursion point from them, they devour and ruin but there has to be something there. Before we left, I was looking through the town hall and there were so few people there that it doesn’t make sense for the Voidborn to be there and to only attack that small town and extend further? Doesn’t seem right to me.”

You noted that earlier once you all finished searching the town for any more Voidborn or any survivors. The attack was recent given the lack of authorities investigating how a whole town seemed quiet. Now that the thought surfaced, how long had the attack been? The town was in ruins but small Voidborn can’t cause that much damage and someone would’ve noticed a whole town going dark. You think the whole thing happened right before your team got there but that sounds like the Voidborn were drawn to this area but why? Why such a precise attack when Voidborn devour all light? Was there a darkness there drawing the Voidborn, causing them to manifest in that town where they broke through reality and...

“I can see why this is keeping you up but Kina this is something we should discuss lat-”

“I know I’m still new to this whole thing but I can’t get the image out of my head.”

You know what she’s talking about, you were there when she was first chosen to become a Star Guardian, or rather when she willed the sleeping power within her to come out. You open your mouth to comfort her once more but her voice reaches you before yours could come out.

“Those things sucked the soul out of those kids. I can hear their cries and earlier I found a photograph of-”

“Kina, listen to me, what happened wasn-”

“This was why I became a Star Guardian. To protect the innocent and the weak from these monsters. I know it’s not my fault but I can’t help but be reminded of that one time. What if I had this power sooner? I could’ve saved them.”

She was having another short episode, nobody said Star Guardians were immune to mental trauma, we were all still kids in the eyes of the universe but carried burdens many adults had. During your call, you get dressed slipping on a baggy hoodie before transforming and flying out to console your friend. You stay on the phone while talking to her, flying across the night sky appearing as just another shooting star.

Kina pauses, “where are you? Is that wind I hear?”

The window opens and Kina spins around to face you. You hold up the phone, hanging up. “Was. Sounded like you needed a friend more than a leader, so thought I’d drop by and offer a shoulder for you. Now a bad time because I can fly back?” 

Kina flashes a benign albeit, pained grin, and gestures for you to enter.

“You can have a seat unless you feel like perching out my window like a gargoyle?”

  
  


There was a quiet giggle after that response, better than nothing. You finish climbing through and close it behind you as Silver is already flying around, rubbing against Kina’s side. Whether it was through comradery or instinct, she reached down to pet the cute foxes; cheek earning a high pitched cry of delight. 

“Silver, shut up. People are trying to sleep.”

Silver looked up at you with dismay but Kina waved her finger at you, “Silver is a precious baby and is fine. Isn’t that right, Silvy? Aren’t you a good boy?” She squints her face at Silver coddling him. You roll your eyes with a playful sigh. 

“You’re playing right into his hands, foxes are known for their cunning intellect y’know?”

“Is that why you and Ahri are a thing?” Kina asked, flashing a teasing grin.

“Ahri has many good traits, I feel like I’m one of the few on this planet, in this universe, that can handle her nonsense.” 

“You two make a nice couple though. It’s nice seeing you two smile what with everything going on and what you have on your plates.” 

As if there wasn’t enough to smile about? Everyone was safe and sound, living their mundane lives and protecting the universe on the side. We all had a nice mix of peace and chaos but that kept their lives more interesting.

Kina reads your expression and continues, “There is a lot to smile about, that’s why I worry sometimes when things like earlier happen.” Then you’re reminded why you’re here, that touch of darkness that lingered on her face now shown. She understands your perception too and the air. 

You close the distance between the two of you and sit down beside her on the bed. As the silence settled, you sigh, “look, about what you said over the phone. I can’t imagine what you’re going through but forget that I’m your leader, right now I’m your friend and your friend wants to make sure you’re okay. Besides, she should be home now so I’m okay to talk if you need it.”

Kina rolls her eyes with a thin smile, “I know. I was just getting flashbacks and I didn’t know who to call so I panicked and called you. Sorry, I didn’t know if you were still with Ahri and-” Kina gasped as if she broke one of the ten commandments. “Oh my god! Ahri!”

"Is just fine,” you reassure her by cutting her off. She probably thought you cut your time with her short because of her issues fearing she was nothing more than a vex in your personal time. “She’s probably on Tumblr or something instead of sleeping.” Like she always is but you keep that bit to yourself. 

“It’s okay. How are you doing? Do you want to vent about it some more?” You ask once more hoping to digress from your girlfriend.

With a wistful sigh, she shakes her head. “No, I got most of it off my chest when I first called and while you were flying over, apparently. Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you worry that much. I just-”   
  


"Kina...” 

“Sorry! I can’t help it. Thanks for coming over. You’re sweet for that.”

You push away the compliment and check the time. You send Ahri a text to go to sleep, riding on a suspicion and she replies with a pout emoji. With today concluded and a date with your bed, you get up to let Kina know it’s time to wrap this up unless there’s something else on her mind. She shakes her head pushing you to the window.

“You can go, get some rest. I’m sure you’re probably exhausted after today.”

You were but that eerie smile from earlier is still plaguing your thoughts. Kina doesn’t need to know about that, she has enough demons to chase away. If it gets worse, you’ll let your team know and not let this color everyone’s attitude towards your trivial thoughts. Maybe you’ll tell Ahri since you should probably at least tell one other person, another leader at that. 

You give Kina a friendly hug, pulling her in before flying away into the night sky leaving behind a trail of grey starlight with silver by your side.


	2. A night to remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unwinding after School, The Star Guardians all have a party leading into the weekend to celebrate another week of school and protecting the universe. Ahri seems to be hiding something from you slipping away unnoticed after classes end and you are left setting up with Kina. There's mischief on the horizon and Ahri seems eager to add to it.

Chapter 2

Wrapped in your sporty black windbreaker, you step out of your car only to be greeted by a gusty breeze coiling around you and Kina. You approach the store getting a text from Ahri. She was informing you she had something to take care of after her club, pretty vague with her explanation. Given she has fox-like traits you expect mischief on the horizon. The store sat on a kitty-corner across from the restaurant your team enjoyed to have their ‘meetings’ after saving the universe.

Tonight you were having a little Star Guardian party at your place and had to gather the rest of the supplies and refreshments. To your wallet’s gratitude, you were almost done with buying everything.

Entering the store, you were glad to have someone with you, especially Kina. She was very orderly and if she pursued it, she could definitely work for a corporation as a CEO’s secretary. Your tendency to forget little things was often your downfall, one among many.

“You know, a certain girl would probably like that,” Kina said with a smug grin.

You avert your attention away from the flowers, “You mean Ahri would like these or the ones over there?”

“I don’t know,” Kina says, walking away. “She’s your girlfriend~”

You look over at the flowers, each unique with their own shapes, resplendent colors, and alluring scents trying their hand at enticing you to pick one over the other. Among the plethora of flowers, you see roses, tulips, and other names you cannot recall.

You look over your shoulder for Kina but she was no longer around, probably already gathering the list you provided while you twiddled your thumbs in uncertainty about which flower to get, why not all of them? You look at the prices and chuckle, yeah you can’t afford all of that given you were already buying everything for the party. You pick one and move on to find Kina grabbing some things off the shelf.

She eyes what you grab, with a smirk, looking at the flower before back at you. You can feel the judgment like you’re being tried for a crime you just committed due to ignorance.

“You sure about that one?”

You ask what’s wrong with your selection but Kina giggles, teasing you that there’s nothing wrong with your choice yet you can’t help but feel a little self-conscious about it.

You both hunt each item on the list successfully retrieving them when you head over to the checkout. A few shoppers milling about all wandering around the shop aimlessly looking up at the shop’s signs for guidance and conversing with each other.

“Just to make sure, it’s just going to be Ahri’s team and ours at this party, right?” Kina asked, double-checking the list, not taking her eyes off of it.

You nod, pulling your wallet out for checkout. “Yeah, we don’t really know other Star Guardians or if there are any more out there.” You know there are other Star Guardians out in the universe, it can’t just be the two teams. With how massive the universe is and how it’s only expanding fills you with dread if you were the only ones left.

You can see Kina’s mouth as she’s deleting them off the phone. Her eyes don’t lift off the screen until she’s finished, looking up at you, letting you know when she’s done. You ask Kina why she was wondering when you see her reaching for her purse. Oh no, you couldn’t let her pay for your idea. You reach your hand out to grab her shoulder. She looks at you confused asking what’s wrong, glancing around with a serious expression.

“Relax, there are no Voidborn here. I just don’t need you paying for anything. I didn’t invite you here to pay for my things.”

Kina’s shoulders dropped slightly and her gentle features relaxed. “I don’t mind. You can think of this as my way of contributing to the cause! Instead of bringing my own stuff, I’m helping pay for what you’re providing.”

You narrow your eyes at her, she reads your expression and chuckles averting her gaze.

“Are you sure you’re trying to look for excuses to not bring your own cooking?”

“What? Me? Lazy? Puh-lease. You hurt me.” She pressed her hand against her chest with a slight hunch.

You narrow your eyes incredulously. No, she surely was not hurt but you play along.

“I can’t believe you think so little of me, here I thought-”

“You can pay for a third if you shut up and admit it.”

“Yeah, basically. You got me,” Kina said, pulling out her purse. Not even an ounce of effort was put into hiding her enthusiasm.

You sigh but yield a low chuckle and a smug. If it’ll make her feel better then why not?

You feel the need to ask if you picked the right flowers. Your memory isn’t the greatest but you feel like these were the ones she liked the most.

“Come on. You cannot be that dim,” Kina helps you finish loading the groceries in the car before shutting the trunk.

Now she was just poking fun at you, to be expected, honestly. “No, really. I just want to make sure I made the right call here. I can always go back in and get a different one.” Now you sounded insecure; that wasn’t like you. You could still feel like there was a quiet whisper, a pair of floating eyes staring at you from inside your skull. Must be the stress taking root, you figured. The imagery made no sense given the time and place.

Kina opened the passenger side door and hopped in. “Look, from one girl to the next-”

“Hey!” You shout as you get in the car flashing her a hollow glare.

“Getting a girl flowers is perfect. It’s not always picking the perfect flower, it’s the thought that counts and really one of the best things to get for her. We can’t ask our boyfriends to buy us flowers because that defeats the purpose, y’know?”

Well, when she put it like that you did feel a bit better about your decision. Made perfect sense, honestly. With a grin, you two drive over to your place to get ready for tonight.

Kina helped you adjust the Bluetooth stereo while you prepared the food and snacks. How you managed to get your hands on some alcohol was a secret but that will help make things interesting. Hearing a knock on the door you stride over to answer.

You greet Ahri with a hug and plant a kiss against her soft lips. You can smell her strawberry perfume wafting, more enticing than the flowers at the shop, but you’re biased.

Kina’s voice reaches from the other room, also greeting Ahri when she runs over to give Ahri a hug too, pushing you to the side.

“Hey!” You groan feeling her shove you aside to hug Ahri. They embrace each other, complimenting how the other looks. What was this difference in treatment? You ask Ahri where the others are and she says that they’ll be here soon. Her chin lifts slightly and you can see her cute little nose sniffing the air.

“Is that…?” Ahri asks with her voice trailing off.

She may have fox-like traits but it still surprised you with how acute her sense of smell is. You tell her if she’s going to behave then she can have some. With a mischievous grin, one of her downy tails brushes against your cheek.

“Of course I’m a good girl!” Her voice gets quieter as she glanced over her slender shoulders with those beautiful violet eyes. “I’m only bad when it’s just the two of us~”

You can feel Kina’s eyes drilling a hole into the back of your head with an impish grin.

“Oh~ what’s she talking about?” Kina asked with a complacent grin.

“Don’t you have some speakers to set up?” you reply back, craning your neck to avoid Kina’s direction, following Ahri into the kitchen.

Stepping up to her, you find Ahri in the kitchen helping herself to some of the alcohol she was promised. Pouring herself and you a generous glass of honey mead, she lifted the glass to you. Not one to turn down a gift, you accept it clinking the glasses together before slamming it down. You can taste the honey with the undertaste of white grapes complimenting the flavor. You can tell she’s obviously delighted by the drink with the way her tails were swaying and her ears flattening on her head.

You tell her not to drink too much before the others get here.

“I’ll be fine! Unlike you, I can handle my alcohol.” It would make the party slightly complicated if she guzzled all the alcohol by herself but she replies by sticking her tongue at you. “Now, if you’ll excuse me I have some samples to try out.”

Good on her word, she starts to ponder which to try out next licking her lips in anticipation. Despite how much she can drink, she doesn’t seem to ever lose her figure. Probably a gumiho thing seeing as how she doesn’t know either.

You go back to setting up for the party when the others start to arrive. There was a knock on your door but you don’t hear it considering Ahri is stealing your attention. Kina sighs and goes to open the door. A rainbow-haired girl standing beside a mature looking redhead are in view.

Kina smiled reaching her hands out to greet the two. Sarah and Neeko both return her smile and each giving her a hug before being ushered in. Soon the other Star Guardians make their way inside and you find your living room filled with your guests. Teenagers, food, and alcohol, not many recipes for disaster can compete with that.

Once everyone is settled and done getting acquainted with the other, you go to announce party ideas you had in mind. You hear Garrett call out beer pong, raising his glass with others also agreeing with him.

“Alright, you degenerates. Everyone finish your cup and we’ll use those for beer pong. How are we going to establish teams?”

You can see her trademark wisenheimer grin before Ahri suggests boys against girls. With a blank face, you stare at her. The teams are supposed to be fair, even. The girls clearly outnumber the guys.

“Yeah, why not? Afraid you’ll lose?”

You wish you could blame this entirely on the alcohol but you know her better than that. She struts around gathering her teammates leaving you with Kenton, Garrett, and Rakan.

“Don’t sweat it. We can beat them.” Rakan said, placing his hand on your shoulder with his usual charming grin.

“He’s right. We’re a smaller team so our skillset will be more even than theirs.” Kenton seemed excited, pumping his arm up eager to win.

They weren’t wrong but there was one thing that you wondered before you got anything started.

“Okay everyone, do we all know how to play beer pong?”

“What do you mean? Don’t you just throw the balls into the cup and if it lands you have to drink from it and remove it?” Xayah asked.

You nod, although pointing out that you don’t need to drink out of the cup specifically and they could be filled with water, for sanitary reasons all things considered.

“Also I want to point out,” you say with a hollow glare at Ahri, “you are not allowed to slap the ball from landing in your cup if they declare it as a bounce shot.”

“Hey!” Ahri cried out as you kept explaining the rules. She pouted letting you explain the rest to the others. Once everyone is informed you turn around while the girls are talking to explain the other set of exceptions to your team.

“Do the girls know this too?” Garret asked peeking past you to look at them.

With a shrug and a smug, “I mean, we need the advantage somehow.”

You share a chuckle with the guys. While everyone is taking their turns you go to make the loser team’s cup.

Aeryn noticed what you were adding it all into one cup and her grimace tugged the tip of your lips. On the same note, you were hoping you weren’t going to be on the team drinking this.

When it was Xayah’s turn she goes to make a bounce shot when Rakan takes the honors and flicks it away.

“Hey! Rakan, what the Hell was that?!” She growled with her fists balled up.

Rakan shrugged, “sorry babe! Rules are rules.”

You decide to help your brother in arms and cut in. “You can swat the ball if it’s a bounce or a trickshot. If you announce it then you can’t touch it or move anything on the table.”

Ahri narrowed her eyes at you. “Looks like the boys want to play dirty, huh girls?”

In a chorus of sass, they all follow her lead.

You try to defend yourself and tell her they’re actual rules and she can look them up if she wants to. At some point, you know Ahri was going to tease you about this in some fashion, as she always does.

Now they were getting competitive, your eyes kept darting to the disgusting blend of alcohol in the cup. It gets close, to everyone’s surprise, sweet innocent Neeko is the crack shot, and the rest of the girls aren’t bad at landing the ball either.

Ahri, making sure there are no more curveballs thrown at her, reads through the rules and the game is about even again. With a saving throw from Rakan, the boys end up victorious. There is an uproar as the girls cry out wanting a rematch for best two out of three.

The boys were smug as they shrugged their shoulders all glancing at the distasteful concoction.

“Sorry ladies. Rules are rules and you did challenge us,” Kenton replied sliding the heavy glass towards them. Instead of one of them taking it, Ahri proposes they split it evenly to lessen it on the one sacrifice. You snuck your phone out to record this unable to repress a grin from inching across your face.

Sarah notices and flicks you off downing her cup and chasing it with some wine. The girls all shivered as the beverage crawled down their throats coating them with an indescribable taste that will haunt their days to come. The guys snickered watching their faces scrunch, sticking their tongues out from the disgusting taste to those who didn’t prepare a chaser.

Ahri came over to you, with a bitter expression, her cheeks puffed out like a brat who lost a game of beer pong in contrast to the arrogant look on yours.

“Congratulatory kiss for winning?” You ask. Ahri responds with a simple nod, not opening her mouth once. She leans on the balls of her feet to kiss you. Expecting a cutesy kiss, you were not braced for her tongue to penetrate your lips and then to have a taste of the putrid abomination you created for the girls to drink. Your eyes peel open and you step back, gagging.

The girls seemed pleased, Ahri more so wiping her lips with her finger slowly. Your male teammates all watch with a nod.

“We lost one, boys. F for our fallen leader,” Kenton said.

“I can still hear you, assholes,” you reply trying to get the taste out.

“I can almost hear his voice during these trying times.” Garret pretended to wipe away a fake tear before raising his cup. “We’ll drink in his honor!”

Ahri snuggled beside you, “how does it feel to be one of the girls who had to endure that? Bet you feel pretty silly, huh?”

You’ll remember that little trick she pulled on you but part of you was asking for it in all fairness. At least you had the recording to remember that.

Aeryn asked if there were any board games you had. You scoffed, remembering you had a card game called ‘Headbanz?’.

You gather around the living room sitting down with some music playing in the background, you couldn’t say what type since Aeryn kept changing the song. You all draw a card and attach it to your headband, with everyone else able to see your card they snickered. Since everyone is uncertain who should go first, Sarah volunteers, flipping the miniature hourglass over.

She began by asking questions to see if she could narrow down what her card was. As she was running out of time, she had no idea what to ask next.

“In the South, you can be considered a luxury item,” you grinned leaning back on one arm against your couch.

The others around you laughed, Sarah’s expression did not assuage their amusement one bit. Sarah tried asking more questions to figure out what her card was but lost. She yanked the card off from her headband and let drop.

“A tractor!? You call a tractor a luxury item in the South!?” She spat out.

To be fair, if you had a tractor you were probably making a good amount of money but you had no idea being a suburban kid and growing up with your parents.

As the night goes on, the other Star Guardians have their karaoke and chat amongst each other, eating pizza, chips, drinking, and probably making bad decisions. The party starts to quiet down a little bit with everyone sitting around each other swirling their drinks around in their cups.

Aeryn perks up suddenly exclaiming she had an idea. When she proposes you all play Truth or dare, you groan to yourself.

“I heard that!” Aeryn says glaring a hole into your skull. “It’ll be fun! C’mon! We should play! What slumber party would this be if we didn’t play?”

“Play? I was planning on kicking you guys out and watching you stumble down the streets.”

“Okay! So it’s decided! Neeko, can you bring that empty bottle for me? We need something to spin,” Aeryn says gesturing at one of the bottles on the counter.

“Why not spin Neeko instead? Neeko’s very good at spinning!” Neeko says with youthful enthusiasm.

Xayah starts to laugh, getting up to hand Aeryn the first bottle she could grab.

“You’re playing with us, you can’t be the bottle,” Xayah says with a smirk.

Sarah and Ahri were on their phones but neither seemed to be against the idea. The guys were indifferent which left you as the odd one out. Safer to go along than make yourself into a bigger target, you agree to join and get out a bottle of whiskey for those who refuse the demands expected of them. Xayah decided to go first and spun the bottle. You silently prayed it wouldn’t turn on you, not wanting to do anything ridiculous or get asked a particular question that would lead to embarrassment.

The bottle slowed and stopped in front of Garret who was looking up at Xayah, gulping. May she have mercy on his soul.

“Garret, truth or,” Xayah stopped to flash an ominous grin, “dare?”

Not wanting to deal with Xayah’s torment, he chose truth. You could almost hear Xayah calling him boring from her reaction but that quickly subsided.

“Okay, what was the most embarrassing thing that happened to you in front of your mom? Be honest!”

Oh no. You recalled that moment perfectly clear because you were there for that. This was one of those two birds with one stone type of questions and it wasn’t even your turn yet!

Garret scratched the back of his head, you catch his eyes flicker over to you. You do your best to signal for him not to but you have a feeling if he was going down, he was taking you with him.

Garret began to tell the others about the story of when you two found his father’s dirty magazines while you were over at his house one time. You two were no older than twelve at the time and two very curious boys.

Ahri’s eyes drifted from Garret until they met you. “Did you like what you saw?”

You thought for a moment, letting the shame pass through when you do that half-grin she adores on you. You let your eyes roam up and down Ahri’s body.

“I like what I’m seeing now even more,” you say with a whisper.

She muffles her giggles, snuggling closer to you.

The story ends with Garret revealing that you two were getting excited looking at the magazine when his mother caught the both of you. He says it was your fault where your hand was forced to defend your shattered honor.

“Hell no, it wasn’t! You’re the one who was all like, ‘FoLloW mE. I haVe sOmEThiNg CoOl tO SHoW YoU,’ and look at what happened!”

You caught the attention of the other Star Guardians laughing and teasing the two of you. Xayah seems satisfied with her work, leaning back with her arms folded over her chest against Rakan who was always welcoming to her.

Next, it was Garret’s turn to spin the bottle, glad his turn was up, it ended on Neeko, whom everyone silently agreed must be spared from anything sexual and protect her innocence.

“Yay!” Neeko cheered, pumping her fist into the air. “It’s Neeko’s turn! What shall Neeko do?” As she asked the area around her glowed a pale yellow and her image was an exact copy of Garret’s.

“Eh…?” Garret mumbled, unsure what to ask her, even more so when she copied his appearance. Garret looked at you for help, you shrugged unsure what to reply back with.

“What’s something you love more than anything in the world?”

A simple and innocent question, you nodded at Garret flashing a quiet thumbs up.

“That’s it? That’s too easy for Neeko!”

Neeko’s form reverted back to her true self and her arms reached out grabbing Rakan, who was still holding Xayah, so when she pulled she got both of them, and the other reached for Sarah.

“I love my family!”

Ahri smiled ever so fondly at her team, proud, and doting.

“And we love you too, Neeko,” Ahri says breaking away from you to join in her team’s group hug. After some protest, Xayah and Sarah both sighed. Yielding a smile and hugging the others.

A scene so sweet you couldn’t bring yourself to not smile along with them. The game continued as their wholesome moment ended with Neeko spinning the bottle. You learned a few things about your team that not even you knew about them. Aeryn had a fear of dying alone, Garret was always afraid of not being good enough, Kenton wanted to learn programming to make games to help inspire people, and Kina you learned wanted to have a family.

With things starting to get a bit too tame, when it was Sarah’s turn she dared Kenton and Garret to play Pocki with each other. She plucked one of the sticks from Ahri, who complained upon the moment of the robbery, and handed it to Kenton. Sarah added that the loser would have to down five shot glasses of whisky without a chaser. Leave it to Sarah to dole out the punishment.

Kenton refusing to meet Sarah’s eyes reaches for the pocki and places it firmly between his lips. Not one to back down from the challenge, Garret also took the other end with his lips.

Awkwardly, both of their lips slowly inch closer to the other, you can see it painted in their eyes, wondering when the other would forfeit until they reached a brief stopping point not a breath away from the other’s lips.

You notice Ahri’s fingers dancing across her phone and the light from Kina’s phone the next second. The two girls share an impish grin that needed no introduction and the girls caring even less to hide their scheming. You whisper to Ahri to ask what she has planning but she only winks at you and tells you to enjoy the show. You know the glimmer in her eyes, things were about to get noisy but as long as you were out of the crosshairs, you didn’t mind being a witness.

Kina leans back against Sarah, who eyed Kina incredulously when her foot pressed and pushed Kenton into Garret. The comical expression on their faces, lighting up like a newly born flame, threw themselves back. Funny to note, Kenton had the last of the pocki stick in his mouth.

Before Garret could say anything, the group all shared a laugh. Kenton whips around shouting at Kina, asking what that was for. She shrugged, poking her tongue out playfully at him.

You can practically see the desire for vengeance emanating around Kenton, since it was his turn, everyone was certain he was aiming for his self-righteous retribution. It didn’t land on Sarah but Kina instead. Kina knew exactly what to expect and chose dare. Kenton wanted them to do the same thing he and Garret were forced to do, although that’s implying they weren’t given the chance to drink instead and skip.

Sarah grinned, not what Kenton was expecting nor Kina when Sarah’s hand floated over caressing her cheek before pulling her in for a kiss. You can hear a cute squeak from Kina before her eyes closed, accepting it. As hot as it was, you noted the pocki wasn’t being used. Was this technically fulfilling the dare or was Kenton too distracted to pay heed to the details.

Ahri and Xayah both cheer on Sarah while the guys had a hard time turning away. Sarah was the first to break the kiss with a Kina looking up at her with lidded eyes. Sarah diverts her attention back to Kenton, smug.

“Happy?”

“Just… spin the bottle,” Kenton said awkwardly, defeated, and turned on.

You feel a pair of fluffy ears graze your cheek.

“Psst. Hey, did that turn you on?” You didn’t need confirmation, you could sense Ahri grinning at you. The question beckoned, do you play into this? Deciding on the better part of valor you opt to evade and point out she never used the pocki but it was too late now as Kina was spinning the bottle.

You decide to take a break and go out to the balcony to catch a gust of fresh air. You stand on the edge of the balcony, leaning against the railing. With the stars shimmering from above as your night lights you sigh, giving your body some time to digest the alcohol.

“Got room for one more?” Ahri asks with a genial smile, sliding the door closed behind her. She scoots herself closer to you wrapping her tails around you. Each tail covered in a luxuriant peach-color tipped with a shade of pink, wrap themselves around you. You’ve seen and felt them more than a handful of times and you swear each time you get lost in their beauty and texture.

“How are you feeling? Drink too much?” Ahri asked looking up at you with her soft shade of purple amethyst. You suspected a few were drunk but their bodies would burn the alcohol faster than the average person so suffering from a hangover was highly improbable.

You sigh, wishing you could more often than not. Then a funny thought surfaced from Ahri.

“Hey, you remember when you first became a Star Guardian? When you realized you were one of the First star’s chosen?” Ahri asked.

How could you not? Funny how she almost seemed to read your mind. “How could I forget? That was a weird moment in my life.” You were just a boy playing games when the aura around your mother started to turn into a muddy violet. Not understanding it but something inside you screamed for her to get help, you begged for her to go to the hospital afraid the same thing would happen to her that did your father. Afterwards you learned what Void Sickness was and the consequences to follow should it go untreated.

You ask Ahri why she wanted to bring that up out of the plethora of topics to choose from. Was it the somber moment of peace you two were sharing outside that prompted this?

With a faraway gaze she asks, “do you ever wish you were normal? Like everyone else in school? Like the adults who go to their jobs every day and come home?”

Knowing that we are tied to this destiny, to burn furiously until we collapse was an idea that bothered you for years to come after learning your fate. You take a moment to deflect the question back at her, unsure of your stance on the topic.

“Me?” Ahri lets out a sharp breathy laugh. “All the time. How I wished I could be like the other girls only worrying about homework and what outfit to wear on the weekend.”

It was an understandable feeling for someone in our age group, in any age group, you think it was a mutually exclusive feeling between you and the other Star Guardians. As much as you all tried to enjoy the job, it wasn’t for the faint of heart and certainly not for the weak. The other Star Guardians don’t say anything about it but you know that deep anxiety lives on in each of you.

Breaking the silence, Ahri asks you, “do you think we’ll ever win this?”

That was a loaded question, one that should pay the appropriate amount of attention to.

“Dunno,” you said absentmindedly gazing at the night blanketed by the shimmering stars, “it’s a big galaxy and with so few of us and so many of them, it’ll be hard to.”

Ahri sighs, you can feel her break away from you and her tails lessen their hold. You can feel the frustration in the air as the word faded. Apparently, paying attention to a sensitive topic was something you should’ve done.

“You could try to be a bit more comforting,” Ahri mumbled.

She was right, even setting the pragmatic part of you aside, your girlfriend is seeking comfort and reassurance from you. If you were on the other side of the spectrum, you’d like the same as well.

You apologize but still feel a bit tinged with guilt. Perhaps you could try again?

“I don’t want to lie to you Ahri, I don’t know what the future has in store for us. I have my doubts and fears just like anyone else but I do know this much. I have a dream that one day we can all live in a reality where we can be like everyone else. That families can rest easier knowing their child can go outside and play without an incursion point opening. Until we can make that dream a reality, we’ll always be there to fight for that future and each battle brings us that much closer. That’s what I believe.”

Her ears twitch hums with an affable smile, “That sounds better. Sounds nice. A life where we can be free from this… ‘destiny’ of ours.” she says with an undertone of bitterness creeping into her voice.

Her ears twitch, flying straight up as she leans up. “Oh! I almost forgot I have a gift for you.”

A gift? You start to wonder if that’s where she was from earlier when she vanished after school. Thankfully you bought her flowers although that seems lesser than whatever it was that she got you. You decide to let her know about the flowers you got her since you were about to exchange gifts anyway.

“You got me flowers? Oh! That’s so thoughtful! What are they? You said ‘flowers’, right? So that means there’s more than one! Where are they?”

You were a bit taken aback by her sudden excitement. You didn’t realize they meant so much to her.

Ahri giggles, “it’s the sentiment that’s sweet. Where are they?” Ahri asks with one of her tails weaving through the space behind her. Ahri was many things, adorable was one of them and when she wanted to be, charming, usually.

They’re in your room, you meant to give them to her earlier but got caught up with preparing for the party that you forgot to.

“Why don’t we exchange our gifts? I’ll give you yours while you give me mine?”

Sounded like a good idea, taking a step back you feel Ahri start to float up, her grasp on yours slipping. You ask what she’s doing when she takes your hand, prompting you to come with her.

“Come on dork. Let’s go to your room and exchange gifts. I’m sure your guests will be just fine without their host for a few minutes.”

“Oh really? You’re not intending for anything sexual to happen, right?” you couldn’t help scoffing at her, floating up with her.

“Me? Please. I’m totally innocent,” she winks at you which doesn’t convince you otherwise but you take things in stride, and since she wants to go, who were you to go against?

The others inside saw you two fly away and a few smirk at the both of you and continue to party while you two slip through your bedroom window. You wanted to add that this feels like she has something in mind since you could’ve very well walked through the small apartment instead of making it seem like you two were going somewhere. She rolled her eyes and noticed the flowers from the shop on your nightstand.

“Oh? Where did you find this?” Ahri asked, inspecting the flower, lifting it closer to her nose. Her nose tingled as the scent of peaches reminded her of a crisp summer breeze.

“Do you like it?” you ask, hoping for a ‘yes’.

“I didn’t know Cosmic Lilies were still around. This is so pretty!”

You enjoyed hearing how sincere her words were as she kept the flower near her face inhaling its scent. With a content grin, you hug her from behind. Ahri sighs happily and leans against you with your arms circling her midriff. One of Ahri’s tails, finding its home, coils around one of your legs, while she wraps her arms around yours.

“Looking for a reason to get all touchy-feely?” Ahri asked.

You thought about coming up with a witty retort when a light flick on your head. Wasn’t this supposed to be a gift exchange?

“You mean, my presence isn’t a gift in itself?”

“No, you gremlin. Cough it up and give me the goods. What’d you get me?”

“Aww. You always know how to steal my heart. Hold on, it’s right...” Ahri reaches down and pulls out a small box. “Here.”

Your hand gently covers your mouth, in probably the sassiest way you have ever done.

“Ahri, I’m really flattered, but I gotta ask,” you could hardly finish before snickering.

Struggling immensely to hold back her grin, she pushes the box towards you. “Hurry up and open it, dork!”

You take the box and open it, expecting a ring but instead, you saw something that truly took you by surprise. You lift the pin and stare at it. You recognize it, the design, the color, what it is. You look up at Ahri who’s looking back at you with a smile that could barely contain her excitement.

“So? What do you think? Do you like it? It took me forever to get this made, it’s why I vanished after school today. I made sure it was as perfect as possible for you.”

It was her star gem, the very thing that contained a Star Guardian’s power, their soul in a sense, but made into an enamel pin. Not quite her soul but the symbolic meaning didn’t lose its impact.

“Ahri, this-“ You lift the pin into the pale blue moonlight to get a better glimpse of it seeing sparkle -”this is amazing. It looks just like your Star gem. Wow. My gift doesn’t compare to this at all.”

“Hush. I love these flowers more because they came from you. That and this is my favorite type of flower.” She leans up delivering a quick affectionate kiss to your lips. Ignoring the loud music in the main room and what sounds like Rakan showboating along with the beat, this would make for a romantic moment. Then again, who says it can’t be?

You reach down for her dainty chin, tilting her gaze towards you. Your arm was still wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to you. As your lips met you could feel the warmth radiating from her cheeks. Once you break away from her you hear a low whine. Ahri seizes the moment to bounce up and wrap her arms around your neck pulling you back in for round two. It was a short peck but you could feel the love and affection was ineffable but despite that, the redamancy was good enough for you to accept without a second thought. The taste of her lips starts to fade, slowly as her eyes hover over to your bed.

“Say, are you getting tired of standing here or…?” Ahri asks, not even trying to mask her intentions.

You shift your head back to the loud noises outside your door when you hear a clicking.

“Don’t worry about them, it’ll be fine~” Ahri saunters over to your bed after locking your door and patting the spot beside her, gently beckoning you toward her. You set her gift on your nightstand where the flowers sat.

“Did you enjoy that?” Ahri asks, but before you could reply back her tails start to wave on your covers energetically. “You better have because I’m not done with you yet!”

She lunges at you once more for another kiss. Not wanting to leave her doing all the work, you meet her halfway pressing your lips against hers. This time, neither of you breaks away, sitting on the edge of your bed nuzzling against one another.

Finally, you two breakaway trying to catch your breath, your pulses both racing and her hot breath on your face. You can feel the heat radiate from her skin and her pulse rise at your touch. Her eyes glance over to the rest of your bed, you didn’t need it spelled out for you knowing what wild thoughts were probably playing in her head.

She falls down on the bed pulling you closer to her for another kiss. Ahri stares into your eyes expectantly knowing exactly what she wants but being coy enough not to say it. You roll your eyes with a smirk before letting your hands move on their own and giving her what she craved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Chapter 2 is finally here and with help from the lovely Bunnyygirl for the proofreading, I can finally say it's ready to be seen. As always, I hope everyone who finds my little story gets what they want and enjoys it! Also I took the time to draw out the pin Ahri gave as well as what a Cosmic Lily would look like. This is how it would look on the nightstand.


End file.
